


The Door

by iCarly1969



Series: The Great Maze Challenge / Competition [15]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-07
Updated: 2014-12-07
Packaged: 2018-02-28 12:01:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2731727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iCarly1969/pseuds/iCarly1969
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was wandering a little aimlessly when he heard the screaming. / "Stains of dishonour, filthy half-breeds, blood traitors, children of filth!" / The screeches echoed a little emptily in the corridor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Door

**Author's Note:**

> Entry #14 for The Great Maze Challenge / Competition: The [clock] was able to fulfill its true purpose of telling [time] forever. Good job. You hear noise up ahead. Someone put Mrs Black's portrait in here and she's screeching about blood traitors and filth at someone who just ran past. Ask her who it was so she can lead you to the exit.

It was summer holidays once more, and both Rose and Hugo are staying at the Black Manor with Lily, Albus and James.

They had invited Scorpius over, too, in the spirit of interhouse bonding.

So far, it was pretty routine, and they got bored of it pretty soon.

So, to spice things up, Lily had suggested they play hide and seek.

Only, there would be two seekers and the playing ground is the whole house.

The rest had agreed pretty quickly, so Scorpius had felt the pressure to agree too.

That was how he ended up in this accursed corridor.

He was wandering a little aimlessly when he heard the screaming.

"Stains of dishonour, filthy half-breeds, blood traitors, children of filth!"

The screeches echoed a little emptily in the corridor.

Scorpius ran towards that sound. It was definitely a horrible person, but somebody is better than nobody, isn't it?

He paused before the portrait, wondering if he should reconsider his decision. It was too late, however. She spotted him around the time he spotted her.

"A Malfoy? Come closer," she commanded.

Scorpius kept his head up and his strides even.

She studied him for a while. "Narcissa's grandson?"

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Her eyes softened a little. Pride infused her voice as she praised, "I see that they still teach the young to be well-mannered. I had been losing hope."

"About…" Scorpius hoped that he sounded suitably interested.

"This generation! What nonsense! Blood traitors and mudbloods running rampant with half-breeds, staining the hallways of my anncestors' home!" she wailed.

"Who was here before me?"

"Who else! That Potter scion, the bane of the Blacks!" Taking a breath, she was prepared to continue when Scorpius cut her off politely.

"If I may, would you mind pointing the way out? It seems that I have gotten lost in these corridors."

She looked at him. "I hope that you are not with those...things that were running around just now, playing that muggle game."

Scorpius smiled evenly at her. "They are unfortunate acquaintances, but I am here because the door showed itself."

She harrumphed at that, before pointing to her right.

"Keep your hand on the right side of the wall, and the place you encounter the portrait of my late husband leads to the door to the house."

"To the house?" The curiosity was genuine now.

She smiled proudly. "The Blacks were well-versed in the Arts, and we are, by far, the only pureblood family to have created a new plane of existence anchored to our own home. As a legacy of the Blacks, you have access to it should any emergencies arise."

She looked serious then. "Come back and visit me, youngster. You have much to learn. Better learn it from someone who is qualified than from those bigoted, prejudiced dishonours to our name and our world."

Scorpius bade her goodbye formally, promising her that he would return. Then, he followed her instructions.

Back at the staircase, he breathed out in relief.

He was glad his father raised him as he did. He was not too sure he could do this every day, if it were his life.

When he turned back, the door was gone, as if it had never been around. The empty portrait stood there in its place.

**Author's Note:**

> A little bonus:  
> After the war, Harry dedicated an inordinate amount of time to clearing out the Black Mansion.  
> The first thing he discovered was that the third floor had a tendency to disappear as it feels like, leaving him to go directly to the fourth floor. He found out that it opened to a maze-like structure. He had not thought much of it as he closed the door to the corridor and went back to doing his spring cleaning.  
> One of the few accomplishments was the fact that he managed to remove Mrs. Black's portrait. Usually, when he went up the stairs, the third set of corridor led to the attic directly, but, for some reason, he ended up in the maze-like third floor.  
> He had shrugged, not thinking much about it and just mostly grateful that he had managed to silence Mrs. Black. He left her portrait hanging in one of the rooms there.  
> He had forgotten which room he had left it in even as he walked down the stairs once more.  
> The floor was not particularly interested in letting him back once more, never again revealing itself. Eventually, Harry forgot about it.


End file.
